“Please don’t let corporations overshadow our quality of life,” Eve Faulkner of Green Hill Road in Barrington said to applause from the crowd of about 70 people.

This is the second public hearing on the project, where engineers of the project presented a current plan and listened to questions and comment from the Barrington Planning Board and area residents. The application was accepted as complete at a Dec. 5 Planning Board meeting, and Trinity Conservation is in the process of surveying and consulting with experts. In addition, the town’s third-party engineer is in the process of reviewing the application.

A public session was also held with the Stafford Regional Planning Commission on Dec. 21, and a neighborhood meeting was held in Barrington Jan. 7. The Strafford Regional Planning Commission reviewed plans and wrote a 42-page report with suggestions, available on its website.

Many residents felt there was a lack of clear information regarding the project, and were worried the Planning Board would make a decision without proper information.

“This still leaves a lot unanswered. We’ve been listening to this since November,” Jim Andrews of Stillwater Circle in Rochester, said.

However, John Huckins, chair of the Barrington Planning Board, stressed the board’s engineer and other hired consultants are taking the matter very seriously.

“All of our questions have to be answered, and we have all the right to get whoever we need to answer them,” Huckins said. He also noted that all reports from surveyors and memos are available to the public.

The proposed plan for the 96-acre property would limit the area Trinity Conservation would be able to excavate to a 10 acres at one time, land that would be reclaimed after gravel was extracted, according to engineer Jeff Kevan of T.F. Moran, Inc. Blasting would take place once every two months and only one loader and one crusher would be in use.

There would be a limit of 30 truck round-trips per day, and hours proposed would be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the occasional Saturday as needed.

Residents expressed numerous concerns regarding the buffer between the proposed pit and houses on Green Hill Road in Barrington as well as houses in the area of Stillwater Circle and Jessica Drive in Rochester. As noted in a Dec. 21 Foster’s article, though the proposed gravel pit would be right next to the Rochester town line, Rochester has no authority over the plan.

“As a Rochester resident, I feel very frustrated and powerless in this whole process,” Cindy Andrews of Echo Brook Road, said.

In addition, many commented on the quality of both life and property values that would decline as a result of the project.

“This is from a kid, from my daughter,” Elizabeth Doran-Healy, who lives directly across the Isinglass River from the proposed site, said. “I’ve been texting her, ‘I think I’m coming soon.’ She said, ‘Just stand up and talk as much as you can. Mention bike rides. Turtles. Mention that my childhood will be ruined. No bike riding with friends, no swimming in the river.’”

Other issues raised were the size and amount of vegetation on the buffer between the gravel pit and residences, and the noise of the gravel trucks. Others worry about the effects of the drilling on their foundations and wear and tear on local roads. Members of the Conservation Commission expressed concerns about wildlife and wetland impact, as well as water quality.